For Thanksgiving, we went to a dinner provided by the school since it was included in our program. It was only ok and there wasnt any stuffing. They also used squash instead of pumpkin to make pumpkin mousse rather than pumpkin pie. I guess turkey is very expensive here in Costa Rica. It was nice to have an opportunity for my roommate and I to dress up though and there was also dancing afterwards. Koryn
We went on a marine bio field trip to Cahuita which is close to Puerto Viejo on the South Caribbean side. The weather was not as nice as we thought so it rained in the evening which made the water level higher and the visibility was low for snorkeling. The first activity we had was exploring in hopes of finding marine organisms. We waded a little and found sea cocroaches, urchins, sea anemones, and brittle stars. Since the water level was a little high we were not able to explore all of the areas that we were going to. We also saw an almond tree and an estruary. An estruary is where a river pools before running into the ocean. The one that we saw was dark due to the royal palms which secrete tennins into the water which are used to dye wood. Estruaries are very important to the marine ecosystem because they house marine birds, crocodiles, and serve as fish hatcheries. The next day we went snorkeling and saw many organisms. Some of the more interesting ones that we saw were lion fish, a nurse shark, and a sting ray. We were given boards to take under the water to write notes which were really cool. We were dropped off at a beach afterwards and then we walked to another beach called Punta Uva, where a friend and I practiced lifts for our dance class.. super fun! Koryn
So I went to Panama and it was one of my favorite places. It was quite a trip to get there and renew our visas but it was worth it! We took a bus down to the border, walked the border, took a taxi into Bocas del Toro, and then a taxi boat to the island that our hostel was on. Our first day we went on a dolphin tour where we saw many dolphins. We couldnt swim with them do to giant swarms of jellyfish everywhere though. After that, we went to a different area and went snorkeling. This pic was taken by a friends underwater camera! The marine life here was fantastic and what made it even more cool was the fact that I am currently taking Marine Bio so we were able to identify species or take pics to ask our prof later. We saw brittle stars, starfish, sea squirts, sea sponges, corals, and much more. We then went to a beautiful beach where we spent the rest of the day relaxing and soaking up the extremely intense sun. Panama is essentially on the equator so it is really, really hot and humid. The next day we hung out at a place called the Aqua Lounge which had swings into the ocean and a trampoline set up to jump in as well. It also had cut outs in the deck that were kind of like swimming pools. The water fleas were a nuissance and I got my foot stuck in the deck which was painful. But overall it was a lot of fun. We thoroughly enjoyed small things like having a kitchen available as well.. we formed groups and made meals. The trip was so much fun even though it was required for our visas.
Happy Thanksgiving to all of you!
Today’s special holiday post isn’t a post, but rather a recipe for what I call “Breisgauer Pie.” Whether you need an idea for a pie as an exchange student, or you just want a delicious recipe, I hope you give my pie a try!
I also have a recipe for a small, simple holiday meal.
The Breisgauer Pie
Election Results Announced!
I wish there was some way I could record the feeling of suspense and apprehension that hung in the air, filling our days and conversation once back in Angers, back to regular media access and surrounded by other politically motivated students. If there hadn’t been so much on the line, it would have been almost fun. Sort of how one can get way too absorbed in hoping their favorite contestant will win a reality TV show. There was a bit of excitement in deciphering the French newspaper each day and hunting for the article about the happenings at home.
Front of the news paper (not sure of the date)
Statistics
The biased paper, I might add. It was a difficult process to vote “absentee” but so worth it. It was my first presidential election and a bit to my surprise I was filled with pride when the French asked me who I voted for and had a look of relief and satisfaction when I told them. As I mentioned previously, it was the second question I was directly asked by my host parents on day one only following an inquiry about my relationship status.
Each day closer to the election the tension rose. My fellow Americans and I were warned that if things didn’t go the way desired, to be prepared for a potential backlash from the French. Our host parents asked us each day “Are you nervous?” Meanwhile, I’d done what I could and occupied myself learning more about the French government and comparing it to my own. Facebook was blowing up with dramatic threats of action if things didn’t go the way people preferred and those were followed by grouchy posts about how everyone was posting about politics. And so the paradox continued while I, amused, mostly refrained from participation.
Being 9 hours ahead, the time of the announcement was rather inconvenient. Many stayed up and refreshed their internet browsers every hour, or set an alarm for approximately the right time to see results. I however crossed my fingers and went to bed. When I woke up I was greeted with a post on my Facebook wall from my best friend telling me I could contentedly and proudly return to the United States. I could come home. Not only that but I was able to hold my head high in my current country of residence, hosting what may have been one of the most relieved groups of people on the planet. It was a special feeling breaking the news to my host parents and international friends and watching their reactions was priceless. What’s more, in the paper that day there was the headline “Mariage pour tous” (marriage for all) as François Hollande, the president of France presented the bill that gay couples can get married and adopt children.
“Mariage pour tous”
I am living through and witnessing positive progressive change and that’s a good feeling. I was slightly taken aback by the warmness that filled me that Wednesday and found that nothing could really bring me down. My smile wasn’t plastered on but those muscles did get tired.
To celebrate, my roommates and I enjoyed a bottle of champagne and the cookies provided by our host parents. We cheers-ed and chattered light heartedly as the anxiety of the previous few days melted away with the sweet white bubbles. By the end of the evening we’d sung the National Anthem (while our host dad hid around the corner to listen) and argued over the lyrics to America the Beautiful.
My roommate Maddy and our cups!
Dawn of the next day came with less tangible side effects of the news but our spirits still soared. I bought two newspapers whose covers hosted the face of our president as keepsakes and what would someday be fun historical evidence. That evening, I had the opportunity to speak on a local French radio station and be interviewed about the election. My classmate and I sat in the official studio wondering how in the world we’d not only get our thoughts together on such issues but express them in French. For most of the hour I let Maddie do the talking. As far as the topics covered we are more or less on the same page and her French is very good. I only chimed in to voice that I agreed or when there was a state specific question (because she comes from California). I’d like to take this opportunity to publically say, despite any insecurity, she did a very good job!
Maddie and the DJ
My world view is changing. I don’t think I’ll get used to opening Google Maps and having France be in the center of my screen instead of Oregon but my natural ethnocentric tendencies are subsiding more. I’m seeing better now than I have in any school class how my home country fits in the world. I’m witnessing its influence in other countries at the same time I’m seeing their own cultural pride still shining brighter. I’ve become more patriotic than ever before and at the same time more interested in learning about and experiencing other cultures than ever before. I suppose this is what “they” were saying would happen on a study abroad trip.
My souvenirs! Not sure why it posted sideways. I cant fix it.
I missed almost all of the summer 2012 Olympic Games because I had limited access to a television, which made me a little sad. But then I remind myself that instead of watching other people interact internationally, I was in flesh and blood getting to sit around a table of at least 5 different nationalities discussing culture or discovering how these mysterious people that come from other places and backgrounds are just like me. We shared a love of dance and in our tights and leotards in the same class we were almost stripped of our varying backgrounds…no, that’s not it. We were all bringing our different lives together to realize that when it came down to it we are not that much different from one another. So similar, yet with endless amounts to learn from each other.
There was also the Colorado Shooting, of which I heard about through a Finnish dancer before I heard from home. It was nice to have two other Americans around to debrief with afterward but it was even nicer to have people from all over with whom we could have deep conversation following the news. I learned about historical events and the population’s reaction to such occurrences that were similar to the Colorado Shooting in other countries.
And finally the storm and Hurricane Sandy. Experiencing this from abroad almost made it feel more real than being home but on the opposite coast. I’m not sure how to explain why. We watched French news reporters talk about what was going on at “home” and New York felt a lot more like “home” than if would have had I actually been home. It was heartwarming that whenever there was more news, if someone knew we were American, they asked with concern about our families and wanted to know if we knew people that lived in the path.
Normandy
Flag outside of the Museum
On Saturday the 10th, we had an excursion to Normandy. It was well timed in that patriotic period. We got up at 5am to start this long emotional day. The first stop was a World War II museum. There were a lot of people, a lot of things to read and look at, and as usual, not a lot of time. I was frustrated with having been rushed through the museum and then having an extra half hour of time after lunch with access only to the gift store. Looking back, I should have gone quicker through the first two world wars and the holocaust sections since I’ve studied those a lot and focused more on the D-Day rooms to prepare for the rest of the day.
The second stop was the American Cemetery and Memorial. Being America, this was a really moving place to visit. On the way, on the bus, one of my professors jabbered at us about things he felt to be culturally and regionally significant. Such as (bet you can guess) …cheese and, naturally, the cows that produce the cheese. I guess cows are really important in Normandy and “The most beautiful cows”. Most people blocked him out, put in their headphones and napped. I took this as a chance to practice listening comprehension since the quality of the bus mic was not ideal. However, I became a lot more distracted with things out the window and zoned out a bit. Until we arrived. And we came around the corner to see the beaches themselves and the rows and rows and rows and rows of graves.
Actually, a friend of mine in the AHA program wrote an excellent blog about her experience here and instead of re-describing the impact of the cemetery, I’m going to include an excerpt of her writing (in quotes) with my interjections.
“When we arrived at the memorial, the first thing we saw was the beach. There’s a wall up, keeping visitors from entering, and a plan of the attacks, allowing visitors to get a general idea of what happened, and how vast the attacks really were.” I appreciated this. “We followed a path overlooking the beach, still laughing and chatting.” At this point, I was still really appreciating the beauty of the coast line. “We turned a corner, and a hush fell over our group. A picture can’t capture how vast it is. The graves are identical to those at Arlington, and they go on for ages.” –Rebekah Coble. This is the moment I looked back at the, still beautiful, but now sickening beaches. I briefly flashbacked to the film we’d seen in the museum with footage from the beaches. Those very beaches. My friend’s description of a hush falling is well put. I think we all had slight stomach aches.
The graves went on and on.
There was a memorial at one end of the cemetery that played the American National Anthem, which touched several students.
From a distance.
In the middle; there was a little round chapel.
Chapel
Then finally on the far end, two statues overlooking the grounds.
Looking toward the far end. Chapel behind me, graves on both sides.
Getting close enough to the graves you could read the home state of each fallen soldier and I was careful to walk at the foot of each grave.
Can’t find the picture of the Oregon. But this one is nice.
Picking my way delicately through the graves and seeing “Oregon” on several crosses became too much and I went back to the path and marveled a bit longer at the beaches.
The bus took us to Omaha Beach where we had 20 minutes to go stand on the famous land. I, feeling sentimental, drew a picture of a peace sign by the waves and collected some sand to take with me.
Beaches are powerful to me in general and good places for contemplation. I appreciated that the weather was nice because had it been gloomy as forecasted, my mood would have struggled a bit more.
Much like the day I went to Dachau, as if my emotions hadn’t had enough the end of the day was the most powerful. The final stop was La Pointe du Hoc. What struck me was how little this site has been changed. I knew it was a difficult place to attack and had been a site of struggle, but getting there and seeing the cliffs the soldiers climbed was really impactful.
What’s more, the humongous ditches and bomb shaped craters from attack remained, full of mud and slightly grassy, but terrifying man made dents in the dirt nonetheless.
These are really hard to photograph.
We were there until the beautiful sunset.
The dismal crumbling bunkers remained as well. It was horrifying to go inside and think about their original uses. In my friend’s blog, she talked about hiding in the bunkers in the rain storm and the impact that had. “While we were wandering around, it started raining, so we went into a bunker to seek shelter. That was the worst thing I did all day. It was only raining, and the bunker was small, cramped, dark and dank. With our phone lights, we were still tripping over things and running into each other. It was terrible. Then I realized that soldiers had been there, not only when it was dark and cramped, but in the midst of a war. That was the most powerful realization for me.” – Rebekah Coble. I enjoyed reading how she spent the rain storm because I had a different experience having chosen to stand out in the rain, getting soaked and watching the water.
Down inside is where Bekah stood and up on the railing over looking the Ocean is where I stood.
My view
The visit was concluded with a full and double rainbow.
It was beautiful…..
For a good length of time, we could see both ends and most of the arc of the rainbow
…and hopeful!
Bekah and I
Photo credit – fellow student, Dylan
This well timed excursion was meaningful to say the least. I was grateful to be among other Americans on the visit and to see firsthand such a significant historical site. Finally, as Bekah put it, “It was truly a naturally beautiful place, but devastatingly so.”.
-Photo credit for this and a few others, Maddy (thanks for sharing your camera and photos after my battery died!)
Emily
Man have I had a crazy last couple of weeks!!
In my last post I mentioned I was heading to Rome soon-and that was two weeks ago! What an amazing place it was as well, I would have to say visiting Rome has been my best vacation in life so far. It may have only been three days but man did I pack a lot into a little amount of time!
I arrived on Monday with Lorenzo, one of the other American students, and we were meant to meet the owner of the flat where we were staying at 1:00pm but our flight got in an hour early so we found ourselves waiting outside the apartment building for a little over an hour. Luckily we made a friend while we were sitting in the courtyard:
After getting the keys to our flat we took a few minutes to settle in before we met up with the owner of our hostel at a local cafe and he helped direct us on where to go and how to get there and what to do during our stay. He had a large map on which he drew so many arrows and circles that by the end both Lorenzo and I could hardly read it! After our little rendezvous we decided that even though it was getting dark we wanted to get a head start with our new map so Lorenzo and I decided to walk to the Colosseum since it supposedly wasn’t that far. What was supposed to be a 15 minute walk turned into a nearly 40 minute walk even though we had the map right in front of our noses. Eventually we made it to the grand building though by that time is was quite dark, something which turned out to be in our favor as there were not many tourists scattered around and we were able to have a great experience walking around the colosso at night.
On our way back to our hostel we stopped by a little hole in the wall take away restaurant that was amazingly still open where I got my first slice of real Italian pizza, and it was delicious! From there it was off to bed to prepare for day 2, and for the arrival of our other friend Porscha who had been held back in England.
Day 2 began quite hilariously as we accidentally slept in until nearly one, and then we locked ourselves out of or hostel with no phones. Luckily we had out day bags so we decided to just go out and visit the sites and worry about getting home later. We walked nearly all day visiting almost all of the major sites along the way:
After a long day it was time to go pick up Porscha and get our keys and phone situation sorted out. Luckily the owner of the flat was able to meet me back at the hostel so I could get our things while Lorenzo made sure Porscha got to our hostel. Since it was getting late again we decided to break out the map and try out some of the classy restaurants our host had told us about to get some real Italian food.
The next day we made sure to set an alarm so that we would not sleep in, and after watching the presidential election speech we got up and got prepared for our biggest day yet. We had a quick breakfast at the local cafe before setting out to get our tickets for finally entering the Colosseum. What a surreal experience it all was. To actually be there in person was very strange, but we made sure to stop and sit and really let it sink in.
From there we went to see all the other major sites like Trevi, the pantheon, capitol hill, and the Vatican.
Sadly our last day came to an end far too quickly and as our flight was quite early the next day we had another early night. Rome was an absolute dream and I still am having trouble with the fact that I was actually in one of the most amazing and historical cities in the world! Now back to school life and real work. Until next time!!
The last 14 days haven’t really brought out anything special.
My preparation for the snow season has finished. I bought some second-hand boots and got the well-used board Anja has given me waked and repaired. I think for my first attempts at snowboarding the black and red board will prove it’s worth.
With no sign of snow in sight, I have been sticking to the streets with my first ride along the vineyards and corn fields around Müllheim.
A quick change towards my thoughts on politics; that is, my comments on how the Germans feel about the Presidential election. It is no unknown fact that Germany, as well as most of Europe, is a social state. That simply means instead of the citizens keeping their earnings and paying for insurance, school, toll roads, etc, they each pay extremely high (from America’s point of view) taxes. In turn, the state shares the tax monies with all the German citizens in the form of child-support, tuition, welfare, and so on. Of course the system is much more complicated than that and one couldn’t just show up and ask for welfare. Anyways, this just shows that some US conservative ideals don’t make sense to Germans and therefore, the German public was overwhelmingly pro Obama.
Now that I so cleverly hid my political statement within my post, I shall continue.
Germany’s the name, and football is the game. Along with countless other soccer fans, Anja and I went to a nice pub and watch an exciting rematch of the Germany/ Netherlands derby. Unfortunately, it was one of most boring games I’ve ever watched. Oh well. The following picture pretty much sums-up how my week ended. The perfect meal prepared by the perfect cook (although I peeled and cut most the ingredients.)
Oh ya, and Anja’s cat took a celebrated Oregon State’s win over Cal.
Greetings all,
I apologize for the lack of posts recently! I have had some things come up in my personal life and have been working towards peace with that.
In my last post, I talked about going to the Hungarian hospital. I was asked by Michele to elaborate on this experience seeing as it was such a culturally different experience than in America. I was recommended this hospital by both my program and my Hungarian insurance company. It was about 8pm when I arrived. Upon arrival, I was not asked any medical questions. They asked me for my passport and my insurance card. After handing over the required documents, the nurse continued to ask me why I was in Hungary and how long I have and will be here. From there, she directed me down a long hallway and into a dorm style room. There were six beds, three on each side and there were people occupying four of them. The nurse asked me to choose a bed and informed me the doctor would come see me after 9am the next morning. It was then that I realized this was not a normal American hospital. I quickly tracked her down in the hallway and asked her for my documents back. I was entirely uncomfortable with the situation and decided to go home. When I got home, I found an English speaking “Americanized” clinic. It was so nice being able to go and tell the doctor exactly what was wrong. I felt so comfortable there. Although I wish I could have had the full Hungarian hospital experience, I am glad that I was helped quickly and efficiently.
Since my last post, I have traveled to Munich and Paris. Although I love traveling, it has become quite normal for me to miss Budapest. BP has truly become my home. My friends here have become my family and my routine has become comforting.
As the title for this post suggests, I have become “Hungry for Hungary” I have been attempting to absorb everything about this city and it’s culture. I have traded out my tourist spots for quaint, local restaurants, cafes, and bars.
At the Orchestra!
Also I have been attending local art performances. I was able to go watch the Hungarian Orchestra perform with friends. Our “cheap seats” tickets were even upgraded because it wasn’t a full performance.
With my Hungarian Art and Culture class we went to the Palinka festival at the castle and then to a Hungarian acting company’s performance. The musical was called “A Peasant’s Opera”. It was written and directed by a Budapest native. They provided “subtitles” for English speakers, so we could follow along! It was a hilarious and beautiful performance. For those who don’t know, Palinka is Hungary’s favorite liquor. It is a fruit based brandy, and quite honestly… it is awful! We had to be cultural though!
Palinka Festival
My culture class in front of Parliament before the Opera!
I have 38 days left here in BP and I am trying to make every last minute count. Currently I am in the coffee shop that is a favorite of Hungarian college students. I make a new friend each time I come to study.
I hope all is well with everyone who has made it to the end of this post!
Molly
Post for July 25th, 2012
This has been such a fun and stressful week! Tomorrow will be my last day of classes. It’s kind of a bitter sweet feeling because, although I’ve enjoyed them, I am exhausted (mostly from this week) because of my final essay in Spanish Culture and Civilization and the stress for tomorrow’s final exams. I turned in my essay today and I’m glad that’s done because I had trouble focusing on it. I wrote about the Spanish Conquistadors’ influence on what is now Mexico and how it contributed to it’s current culture. I thought it would an easy and interesting topic to cover but most of my better resources were so complex, in-depth, and boring I did not have the time to read through everything and then summarize what I learned. But alas that it is over, and I can focus on tomorrow’s exams. Even though I have been extremely tired from staying up late finishing my paper last night, I decided to make some adventurous stops on my way home after school today. I went to Plaza Catalunya with Shelby looking for the highest view from inside the “El Corte Ingles” mall. We went all the way to the top floor and took some pictures from there, but we didn’t buy anything from the fancy deli up there because everything was almost twice as expensive as anything I have seen so far. Before we almost decided to go back home, we stopped to feed the pigeons for the first time since we arrived to Barcelona. It was really fun because we learned how to get the pigeons to feed from our hands and the pigeons weren’t scared to stay on our arms as long as there was food there. No one showed us how to do it either. We just tried it without really knowing if it would work and it did! A few people even took pictures of us holding the pigeons as they passed by. It was quite amusing I guess.
On our way to the metro station Shelby and I managed to get a picture taken with the Catalan police whom I’ve heard tend to be quite merciless law enforcers. I was also told they weren’t allowed to have pictures taken of them while they were working or in uniform but I guess these guys didn’t know or follow that rule because they were not at all reluctant to take a picture with us. Shelby also dared me to drink water from the Fountains in the Plaza. It is said that who ever drinks from those fountains will be destined to return to Barcelona, that’s the only reason why I really drank some of its water because it didn’t seem all that clean.
Just before sunset Shelby, Chrystal, and I met up to finally go see the building that lights up at night. It was nothing too special it was just something we had been wanting to see in person because we always heard people joking about it because of it’s phallic shape. People referred to it as the penis or tampon building because of how it looks. Since we missed dinner at our homestays to go see that building we stopped by a little buffet with Italian-like food. It was a calm way to end the night, even though we should have been home studying.
Now I’m about to go to sleep because I plan to wake up at 7:30 to do some last minute studying for my International Marketing class.
Sincerely,
Jose
